Living on a couch for an unknown period of time

Well, after tremendous pressure from friends (which I always tend to give into), I've decided to begin blogging. That way, all my friends can keep up with my ever-changing gypsy life. Considering I probably should be doing one of many other more pressing things, I figured now was a good time to start blogging. Like being glued to facebook when you have a massive paper due in 24 hours that you haven't started. That's the way I work.

So as the title of this little entry suggests, I am living on a couch. Well, sleeping on a couch more accurately describes what I do. I'm basically bumming off the hospitality of my dear friend Kelly McBride. I'm in a sort of limbo at the moment as I wait around for a governmental security clearance so that I can--hopefully--take off soon for an internship with the US Dept of Commerce at the embassy in Tel-Aviv Israel. I was supposed to leave in January, but like most every other plan in my life, it went busted and here I am in Provo, Utah waiting for the government to interrogate just about everyone I've ever met to make sure I am not a white-slaver or that I wont sell secrets to al-Qa'ida.

I'm currently teaching French missionaries at the Missionary Training Center (which is pretty much the greatest thing ever) for about 20 hours a week, tutoring BYU French students for, oh say, one hour a week, and the rest of the time I spend trying to get free food so that I can survive off my part-time work. I attend some classes (Hebrew so I don't lose it all before I go and a class on Jerusalem from a professor from Syria who is pretty great--he invites me to dinner), but I'm pretty bored much of the time. So much at times that I read my roommates textbooks to them. Don't get me wrong, life is actually pretty fun despite the fact I have basically no idea when I can graduate from the couch to a real place--preferably two blocks from the Mediterranean in a nice Tel-Aviv suburb. My roommates are pretty crazy. I really like all of them: Berta( from Guatemala), Allison,Brittany and Nicki (all from California), Kelly (a Canadian-Irish mix), Aline (from Corsica and one of my heros) and Dina (from Egypt). I'm sure you'll hear all about them in depth as time goes on. But for now, I'll try to brief you on my current situation:

I should leave in the beginning of March and I'll finish sometime in June. I then may tour around the Middle East a bit. My rad professor invited me out to Syria and Lebannon. The downside is that I'd have to take a bus from Jerusalem, through the occupied West Bank to Amman, Jordan then switch buses and head up to Damascus. By myself. My dad isn't too thrilled at the prospect. But Ill decide on that later.

In the meantime, I would like to hang out with all my Provo friends as much as possible before I leave and go who-knows-where. I willingly accept all dinner invites. Even on short notice. After Israel, I'll probably head out to D.C. unless my plans change again. And they usually do.